Sustaining Superior Performance in Business Ecosystems: Evidence From Application Software Developers in the iOS and Android Smartphone Ecosystems

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dc.contributor.authorKapoor, Rahul
dc.contributor.authorAgarwal, Shiva
dc.date2023-05-17T19:19:52.000
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-22T23:53:48Z
dc.date.available2018-04-26T00:00:00Z
dc.date.issued2017-05-01
dc.date.submitted2018-02-13T06:36:58-08:00
dc.description.abstractWe study the phenomenon of business ecosystems in which platform firms orchestrate the functioning of ecosystems by providing platforms and setting the rules for participation by complementor firms. We develop a theoretical framework to explain how the structural and evolutionary features of the ecosystem may shape the extent to which participating complementor firms can sustain their superior performance. The structural feature, which we refer to as ecosystem complexity, is a function of the number of unique components or subsystems that interact with the complementor’s product. We incorporate the evolutionary features by considering the role of generational transitions initiated by platform firms over time as well as the role of complementors’ ecosystem-specific experience. Evidence from Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android smartphone ecosystems supports our arguments that higher ecosystem complexity helps app developers sustain their superior performance, and that this effect is stronger for more experienced firms. In contrast, platform transitions initiated by Apple and Google make it more difficult for app developers to sustain their performance superiority, and that this effect is exacerbated by the extent of ecosystem complexity. The study offers a novel account of how the performance of complementor firms in platform-based business ecosystems may be shaped by their ecosystem-level interdependencies.
dc.identifier.urihttps://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/40326
dc.legacy.articleid1292
dc.legacy.fields10.1287/orsc.2017.1122
dc.legacy.fulltexturlhttps://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1292&context=mgmt_papers&unstamped=1
dc.rights<p>The original, published article is available at: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2017.1122">https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2017.1122</a></p>
dc.source.beginpage531
dc.source.endpage551
dc.source.issue191
dc.source.issue3
dc.source.journalManagement Papers
dc.source.journaltitleOrganization Science
dc.source.peerreviewedtrue
dc.source.statuspublished
dc.source.volume28
dc.subject.otherbusiness ecosystem
dc.subject.othercomplementors
dc.subject.otherplatform
dc.subject.othertechnology transition
dc.subject.othersmartphone ecosystem
dc.subject.otherManagement Sciences and Quantitative Methods
dc.titleSustaining Superior Performance in Business Ecosystems: Evidence From Application Software Developers in the iOS and Android Smartphone Ecosystems
dc.typeArticle
digcom.contributor.authorKapoor, Rahul
digcom.contributor.authorAgarwal, Shiva
digcom.date.embargo2018-04-26T00:00:00-07:00
digcom.identifiermgmt_papers/191
digcom.identifier.contextkey11539877
digcom.identifier.submissionpathmgmt_papers/191
digcom.typearticle
dspace.entity.typePublication
upenn.schoolDepartmentCenterManagement Papers
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